QUARTET ALLIANCE: LEND A HAND (Wild Duty & Judgement)

Chapter 54: Welcome Back Micheal

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11:40 P.M

– Zen's house–

The green head heard soft knocking at the room door. He glanced at Zen's sleeping form, then stood up quietly, careful not to disturb him. He made his way to the door, wondering who could be knocking at this hour. As he opened it, he was surprised to find Zen's sister, Taya, standing there.

"Taya? What do you need?" Cicero whispered, trying not to wake Zen.

Taya rubbed her eyes before speaking. "There's a girl at the front porch. She was knocking for a while now. Do you know her?"

Cicero furrowed his brows, concern flickering in his eyes. "I'll check it out," he replied quietly.

Turning back into the room, Cicero quickly grabbed his jacket and slipped into his shoes, careful not to make too much noise. He glanced back at Zen once more, ensuring he was still asleep, before quietly closing the door behind him.

Cicero made his way to the front porch where the soft glow of the porch light casted shadows on the wooden steps. The cool night air brushed against his skin, carrying with it a sense of urgency.

Standing on end of the steps and near the street, her silhouette illuminated by the dim light, was a young woman. Cicero's heart skipped a beat as he recognized her.

     It was Aria Lixen.

     What on earth was she doing here?

Aria turned as she heard Cicero's footsteps approaching, her eyes wide with apprehension. Her presence seemed to fill the air with tension, as if she carried a weighty secret on her shoulders.

"Cicero," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the gentle rustle of the night breeze. "I... I didn't know where else to go."

The green head looked down at her as he stood in stunned silence for a moment, his mind reeling at the sight before him. Aria, once a trusted ally, was now reduced to a pitiful figure, begging for help. Despite the initial shock, a wave of bitterness washed over him as he remembered her betrayal, the pain still fresh in his memory.

Aria tried to blink back tears as she saw Cicero's once warm green eyes now cold and guarded. After everything she had done, she had the audacity to come crawling back to him. Maybe she did deserve to be looked at like that.

Her usually kempt hair was disheveled, strands falling haphazardly around her face like dark shadows against the pale moonlight. Her sleeveless dress, once pristine, now hung loosely on her frame, wrinkled and unkempt, betraying the disarray of her emotions.

Aria swallowed back her pride and sank to her knees before him, the rough surface of the asphalt biting into her skin. Her head bowed low, almost touching the floor. It was a pitiful sight, her once proud demeanor shattered by the weight of her guilt.

"Cicero, please," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know I've wronged you, but I'm begging you to give me another chance. I'll do anything to make things right."

The green head's eyes widened at her sudden gesture, taken aback.

However, he couldn't ignore the sight of Aria kneeling before him, her desperation laid bare for all to see. Without another thought, he sank to his knees in front of her, his heart heavy with the weight of their shared history and grabbed her arm to get her to stand up.

"Get up," he urged softly, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation. "You don't have to do this."

     Aria's eyes brimmed with tears as she met Cicero's gaze, gratitude and relief flooding her expression. Slowly, she rose to her feet, her body shivering from the cold.